>quite a while is the answer. let's hope willingham and
>morneau can show out like 3-4 hitters so gardy doesn't get the
>itch to slide mauer back.

Basically. It's weird to think that this is the personnel to do it when we've had better lineups. But those two can be two L/R thumpers we need in that heart of the order.

One thing that interests me about the timing of this (it's happened before, but has never seemed so permanent as to occur on opening day, I think) is how much Hicks has to do with it. He's there for his patience and his OBA, and Mauer's power contribution is gap doubles so it's easy to see how that will work. But I also wonder how much Gardenhire reasons that he's there to provide protection so that Hicks is encouraged to get the bat off his shoulder once and awhile. His breakout last year was by getting more aggressive without sacrificing what he already did well - more inducement to continue that could be the goal.

Relevantly, most research seems to agree that lineup protection doesn't exist - either by results or pitch selection. But that reasoning hasn't really gained much traction with managers.